Bottle-cap remover.



A. W. STEPHENS.

BOTTLE GAP REMOVER.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 23, 1910 Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

fill/lg Jnz/ekW' a?? COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0" WASHINGTON. D. C.

UN 1T STT nrre BOTTLE-CAP REMOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed December 2-3, 1910. Serial No. 599,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS W. Srnrnnzzs, of Valtham, in the county ofMid dlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in BottleCap Removers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a device for detaching flanged caps frombottle necks by the lifting action of a lever which is fulcrumed on thetop or body portion of the cap and is formed to engage the flangethereof so that a tipping movement of the lever on its fulcrum willwithdraw the flange from engagement with the bottle neck.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensivedevice for this purpose, adapted also to be used as a sheath for acorkscrew and carried in the pocket.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification,-Figure 1 represents an end view of a bottle cap removerembodying my invention; Fig. 2represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig.1; Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the cap engaging portion ofthe member removed from the lever; Fig. 1 represents a view showing theblank from which the device represented by Fig. 3 is made; Fig. 5represents a fragmentary perspective view showing a modification of themeans shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for securing the cap-engaging member to thelever; Figs. 6 and 7 represent perspective views showing anothermodification; Fig. 8 represents a side elevation showing the deviceengaged with the bottle cap. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail sectional viewsillustrating slight modifications.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allthe figures.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 which represent the preferredembodiment of my invention, 12 represents a handle or lever which is acylindrical wooden rod of suitable length to constitute a lever and aholder for a corkscrew, the lever being bored to form a socket 1 1adapted to have a frictional engagement with the spiral body of acorkscrew. The opposite end of the lever is closed and provided with aterminal memher which is formed from a metal blank (Fig. 4) includingwings 15, 15, in alinement with each other, and an arm 16 extending atright angles with the wings. The wings 15 are bent, as shown by Fig. 3,to form a band adapted to embrace the closed end of the lever 12. Thearm 16 is provided at its outer end with an inwardly projecting hook 17adapted to engage the flange of a bottle cap 18, as shown by Fig. 8. Theband formed by the wings 15 may be secured to the lever by any suitablemeans, the preferred means being a continuous ring 19 formed to surroundsaid band and have a tight frictional fit thereon, the said ringclamping the band closely against the closed end of the lever.

In Fig. 5 I show the wings 15 secured to the lever by means of a pin 20passed through holes in the wings and throughsthe closedend portion ofthe lever.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show the arm 16 provided with a continuous band 21adapted to embrace and have a tight, frictional fit on the lever, thisfrictional fit being relied on to secure the terminal member in place.The described terminal member reinforces the outer end of the woodenlever, the portion which surrounds the end of the lever forming ashoulder adapted to bear on the body of the bottle cap which constitutesthe fulcrum of the lever, while the arm 16 projects in alinement withone side of the lever at a distance from the portion of the saidshoulder which bears on the fulcrum when the device is operated toremove the cap. It will now be seen that pressure eX- erted on the leveras indicated by the arrow (Fig. 8) will cause the shoulder portion ofthe terminal member to bear on the fulcrum, namely, the body of thebottle cap, the hook 17 of the arm 16 being at the same time engagedwith the flange of the cap and caused to lift the same from the bottleneck. The extended bearing of the terminal member on the leverdistributes the pressure so that there is no liability of compressing orcrushing the material of the lever during the operation of removing thecap.

The terminal member in each of the described embodiments of my inventionincludes a shoulder adapted to bear on the cap at one side of the leverand to protect the adjacent portion of the lever against a compressingor crushing pressure on the cap, and an arm projecting substantially inalinement With the opposite side of the lever, and therefore so spacedfrom said shoulder as to cause a lifting pull on the cap flange when theshoulder bears on the cap and the lever is tipped, as indicated.

I claim A bottle cap remover comprising an elongated handle or lever anda metallic terminal member secured to one end of the lever and providedWith an integral laterally ex tended hooked arm projecting substantiallyin alinement with the lever, and adapted to engage the flange of abottle cap, a portion of sald member opposite said hook forming afulcrum bearing serving to protect the 15 adjacent portion of the leveragainst a crushing pressure on the cap during the removing operation.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of tWoWitnesses.

AUGUSTUS W. STEPHENS. \Vitnesses C. F. BROWN, J. M. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

